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OTTAWA — The federal government is spending more than half a billion dollars on its electronic spying service this year, six times its pre-9/11 budget and a reflection of how the Internet has morphed into a juicy intelligence target.
The Communications Security Establishment, or CSE, is to receive $605.6 million, according to supplementary estimates tabled in Parliament.

OTTAWA — Workers preparing the former Nortel complex as the new home for the Department of National Defence have discovered electronic eavesdropping devices, prompting new fears about the security of the facility.
It’s not clear whether the devices were recently planted or left over from an industrial espionage operation when Nortel occupied the complex.

Canadian government officials are regularly targeted on their BlackBerrys and other electronic devices by foreign states and businesses, posing serious security risks and potentially “disastrous” consequences for federal organizations.

Federal prosecutors secretly charged former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden with three felonies last week, according to a criminal complaint that was unsealed late Friday evening. Snowden was charged with three felonies that each carry a maximum of 10 years in prison: Theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person.

WASHINGTON: Has encryption technology given the bad guys a way to operate in the dark? Or has the new tech age gifted law enforcement with unprecedented surveillance powers? A weeks-long showdown between the FBI and Apple ended last month without a clear winner, but the debate rages on over government access to encrypted data in an era of evolving mobile technology. Some worry new forms of encryption are creating dark corners for criminals and terrorists to conspire in secret, while others contend just the opposite -- that it has led to a golden age for snooping on citizens.

A national identity scheme goes global. THE founders of the internet were academics who took users' identities on trust. When only research co-operation was at stake, this was reasonable. But the lack of secure identification is now hampering the development of e-commerce and the provision of public services online.

A former FBI agent was sentenced to more than three years in prison for disclosing confidential national security information about a foiled bomb plot to an Associated Press reporter. Former FBI explosives specialist Donald Sachtleben, who was also sentenced to eight years in prison in a separate child pornography case, pleaded guilty in September in both cases.

In the wake of recent revelations about surveillance activities by governments around the world, it’s clear that electronic espionage is a major threat for Canadian banks, says Rick Waugh, chief executive of the Bank of Nova Scotia.
There is strong evidence that countries such as China and Russia consider it in their interests to engage in economic spying on Canada, said Mr. Waugh, who is set to retire on Nov. 1, ending a 43-year career with ScotiaBank, the last decade of which as CEO.

MONTREAL — Cyber criminals will still be out in force in 2014, but privacy is expected to come to the forefront of digital concerns.
Along with scams, cyber security firms see a continued risk to citizens’ privacy with basic activities such as posting on social media sites, downloading apps on their smartphones and, of course, through indiscretions.
The bad guys are trying to steal your privacy, too
“The bad guys are trying to steal your privacy, too,” said Kevin Haley of the security software firm Symantec.